


Lydia's Hypothesis

by allyasavedtheday



Series: New Beginnings [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Lydia knows everything, M/M, New Girl au, feet hold the cosmic secrets of the universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-06
Updated: 2013-05-06
Packaged: 2017-12-10 14:57:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allyasavedtheday/pseuds/allyasavedtheday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I do not like Derek." He says resolutely. He even uses his commanding teacher voice.</p><p>"Well he likes you." She retorts defiantly.</p><p>"How do you know? You've been here for less than an hour."</p><p>"I'm a very keen observer, Stilinski." She says cryptically.</p><p> <br/>After a pipe bursts in her apartment, Lydia has stay at the loft for a few days. And she has some interesting love advice for Stiles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lydia's Hypothesis

Lydia shows up on their doorstep at two in the morning. Derek's the one who opens the door because he's the only one threatening enough to scare off psycho murderers or  _something_. Lydia looks him up and down before glancing over his shoulder to the rest of them where Allison is leaning on Scott, half asleep, and Stiles is really wishing they'd paid their heating bill because it's fucking freezing. 

"I approve of my replacement," Lydia says. "But I'll be needing my room back for a couple of nights." And then she's breezing past Derek and the rest of them, leaving her six matching suitcases in the doorway, and heading for the bathroom.

There's a moment where all four of them stare at each other in mild bafflement before Allison shakes herself awake and pulls away from Scott. "I'll go," she says, rolling her eyes and stumbling into the bathroom after Lydia.

Stiles is fairly certain she's still asleep though. They've all learned to navigate the loft barely conscious with their eyes closed without causing themselves bodily harm.

Derek eyes the suitcases warily. "So that's Lydia," he comments.

Stiles is way too tired to form coherent sentences so he just grunts in confirmation and drags Scott to the door to help him haul the suitcases inside. Derek hovers awkwardly until they're finished and then mumbles something about making coffee.

Stiles nosedives onto the couch and a second later, Scott's on top of him. It's a testament to Stiles' exhaustion that he doesn't even try to shove him off. A second later he recognises Derek's legs stopping in front of him. He looks up with excruciating effort and Derek snorts.

"You two don't function without coffee, do you?"

"You've been living here for four months and you're just realising this?" Stiles mutters.

Scott gives a half-hearted "Yeah!" from where he's still sprawled on top of Stiles.

He hears Derek mutter the word "pathetic" under his breath but he's smiling. Well Stiles thinks he's smiling. Derek doesn't really smile that much unless it sarcastic so Stiles is inclined to believe that the slightest quirk of his lips counts as a smile.

Derek grabs Scott by the back of his t-shirt and hauls him into a sitting position and off Stiles, much to Scott's own groans of protest. Then he's shoving a mug of coffee into both their hands and nudging Stiles to move over so he can sit next to him.

The first beautiful drop of coffee just touches Stiles' tongue when Allison emerges from the bathroom. She climbs into Scott's lap without much thought and swipes the coffee mug out of his hand, taking a long drink.

"Where's Lydia?" Stiles asks.

"Taking a shower-"

"It's two in the morning." Stiles will never understand girls.

"A pipe burst in hers and Jackson's apartment. Jackson's staying at Danny's until it's fixed," she explains. "And she's staying here?" It's posed like a question but they  _all_  know the answer.

"But where? She can't stay with you because there's a Scott hiding under your bed." 

Scott sticks his tongue out at Stiles and pulls Allison closer.

"And despite what she thinks," Stiles continues, "she can't actually stay in her old room. All Derek's crap is in there."

"Oh yeah, never mind the fact that I actually sleep in there," Derek snarks.

Stiles waves a hand in dismissal. "Whatever. Anyway, Lydia's not taking the couch, so where's she staying?"

"Your room," Lydia replies, gliding into the room and sitting gracefully on the arm chair, her wet hair twisted into a bun on top of her head and wearing a robe Stiles recognises as his own. And she  _still_  looks smoking hot. Yeah, because that's fair.

"Lydia, I love you but I'm not sleeping on the couch for you."

"I don't expect you to. We can share your bed, Stiles," Lydia says reasonably.

"But-"

"You're not still in love with me, right sweetheart?" How can one woman make the word "sweetheart" sound so  _evil_? Not to mention the saccharine smile that she's currently sporting looks like the thing nightmares are made of.

"No, I'm not in love with you. You know that." Terrified is a more appropriate word really.

"So what's the problem?"

"Your morning ritual starts about three hours earlier than mine and I know for a fact that you're a blanket hogger, Ms. Martin." Stiles wags his finger at her to which Lydia only scoffs.

"It's just a couple of days, Stiles."

Stiles gives a long suffering sigh and throws his hands up in defeat. " _Fiiiine_."

"Good." Lydia's smile is more like her normal one now. Charming and pristine with just the right amount of haughty amusement; just like the rest of her.

She directs her attention to Derek then and holds out a hand. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. Which is ludicrous since I moved out  _four months ago_." She looks pointedly at Stiles like it's his fault Lydia and Derek haven't been in the same place at the same time yet.

Derek takes her hand cautiously. "No, but I've heard plenty about you."

Lydia beams, "My reputation precedes me, I'm sure."

Stiles swears Derek shrinks in on himself and leans closer to him. Hah, he's just as intimidated as the rest of them.

Well, he won’t be getting much protection from Stiles.

*

Everyone's tucked back up in bed and Stiles thinks he might just get another couple of hours of sleep before he has to get up when Lydia pipes up.

"So, what's the deal with you and this Derek guy?" she asks wonderingly.

Stiles chokes on air and gets whiplash from snapping his head to look at her so quickly.

Lydia looks at him unapologetically and gestures for him to answer. 

"Nothing! Nothing's going on!" he yells a little too loudly when he finds his voice again.

Lydia rolls her eyes and rolls onto her back but doesn't comment.

"Why would you think there's something going on?" he asks somewhat hysterically.

"Allison and I talk," is all she supplies.

"About  _what_?" He thought they just complained about their boyfriends on the phone - Allison; with fond affection and Lydia; with fondness mistaken for sarcasm.

"Your adorable pseudo-flirting, what else?" she smirks.

"I  _do not_  like Derek," he says resolutely. He even uses his commanding teacher voice.

"Well he likes you," she retorts defiantly.

"How do you know? You've been here for less than an hour."

"I'm a very keen observer, Stilinski," she says cryptically.

"What."

She tuts and rolls onto her side again, propping herself up on her elbow. "Watch his feet tomorrow."

Stiles stares at her blankly. "Okay, usually I'm on the same wavelength with your genius plans but you've lost me."

"If a boy likes you he always points his feet directly towards you," she says knowingly. "It's a scientific fact."

"Wha- No, it's not!"

"Fine. It's not. That doesn't mean it's not true."

Stiles sputters and turns abruptly onto his other side. "I'm going to sleep," he announces.

"Fine, but you're not going to be able to stop thinking about it now." 

She's right. He doesn't fall asleep until just before his alarm goes off and the first thing he sees when he closes his eyes is Derek's feet and  _what the hell does that mean?_

_*_

_  
_ Stiles absolutely does not think about what Lydia says when he's at school the next day. And by that, he means it's the only thing he thinks about. He'd tried to corner Allison that morning but she'd dashed out the door when he was showering.

It's not that he necessarily believes her; it's just that this isn't the first time it's been mentioned to him. Like there was the thing with Kelsey. And he's pretty positive Erica had been talking about Derek when they were talking at the Christmas party.

To say that he's driven himself insane trying to understand it all would be an understatement. He's at the end of his tether by the time he arrives home so of course, the first person he sees is Derek.

He's locking the door but upon seeing Stiles he opens it again. "Hey, I'm going to get groceries, want anything?"

Lydia beats him to his response. She appears suddenly in the doorway, wrenching the door back out of Derek's hand. "Stiles'll go with you."

Derek looks to Stiles and as soon as his back is turned, Lydia's mouthing, "Look at his feet!" emphatically and pointing at the floor. Stiles glares at her and drops his satchel just inside the door. "Yeah I'll come with you." But it’s  _only_  to avoid talking to Lydia.

*

"Do we need milk?" Derek asks and  _his feet are turned to face Stiles_ even though he's looking at the shelf in front of them.

"Uh...yeah." Stiles decides to test Lydia's hypothesis and moves. He moves in a circle and the whole time Derek moves too. And his feet are turned toward Stiles the entire time.

"Stiles, what are you doing?" Derek sounds annoyed. Good. Because Stiles is having a breakdown right now. He deserves to be irritated.

"Nothing!" he singsongs and bolts down the aisle. "Come on, we need pizza!" he calls over a shoulder.

*

On the car ride home, he contemplates his little experiment. The feet thing's not true. It couldn't be. Maybe it's just a Derek thing. Yeah, it's probably a Derek thing. He just likes facing people directly when he's talking to them. Yup, that must be it.

Except it's not.

Because when Stiles gets home, Jackson's there and he decides to be a little more observant. 

He watches Scott and Allison first. Allison's cooking dinner and Scott's leaning against the counter talking to her so of course his feet are facing her. Stiles doesn't think that counts. But then she goes to the fridge and when she returns to the oven she doesn't face forward, she faces Scott. Even though she's not looking at him. Stiles stops looking at them after that.

He must be pouting because Derek, who's sitting next to him watching football or basketball or something that Stiles isn’t paying attention to, nudges his shoulder. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he grumbles.

Derek doesn't say anything more but he kind of brushes his hand against Stiles'. Really gently. So gently it could've been a mistake. In fact it probably was a mistake. God he really needs to stop reading into everything so much.

He looks at Lydia and Jackson to distract himself. Lydia's smirking at him, Jackson's sitting next to her with his arm around her so obviously he can't check the feet thing. But sure enough, when they all migrate to the dining table for dinner and they’re in the kitchen gathering stuff to bring to the table, whenever either one of them moves, the other does too. And their feet are always,  _always_  facing each other.

He could assume Lydia's doing it on purpose but he doesn't think she is. So does that mean she was right? Because Scott and Allison and Lydia and Jackson are the two most in love couples he knows and he figures Lydia would know about these things anyway because she knows about everything.

But say Derek  _does_  like him, does Stiles like him back? Because they have had their moments, okay Stiles knows. He's not that oblivious. But...could he like him? Even just a little bit? 

"Stiles.... _Stiles_!"

"Huh?" Stiles looks up and sees the entire table staring at him. "What?"

"You're a million miles away. What's up with you?" Derek asks suspiciously.

"Oh. Nothing. Just tired, I didn't get much sleep last night." He looks pointedly at Lydia because that means he won't have to look at Derek.

" _What?"_  Jackson's eyes go really intense like they do when Stiles does shit like put bleach in his shampoo. And Stiles...kinda forgot Jackson was there and he's just now, realising how suggestive that sounded. Oops.

Lydia huffs and covers Jackson's hand with her own. "He just means we were up late talking. I was pissed off about the pipe bursting. I needed to rant."

God bless that woman's ability to think on her feet. Seriously. Jackson relaxes and draws Lydia into a quiet conversation.

Stiles stays silent for the rest of dinner, lost in thought. And he avoids Derek for the rest of the night, making sure Scott and Allison sit in between them as a buffer at all times.

It's not until Stiles is brushing his teeth before bed that he's alone with Derek again.

"Seriously, you've been acting weird all day," Derek frowns. "And weirder than usual, I mean. What's wrong?"

Derek's feet are still facing him but Stiles looks down with some surprise to see that his feet are facing Derek too. And he's never believed that feet hold the cosmic secrets of the universe but...huh. That kind of answers his earlier question.

"Nothing man, I'm fine. Promise."

Derek just shakes his head like he doesn't want to know. Stiles gives him a small smile and turns back to the sink. After a second, Derek does the same.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Characters do not belong to me (and I'm sad about that every day but y'know)
> 
> Never in my life, did I think I'd write 2000 words about the position of people's feet but that episode was on the other day so 
> 
> I hope you liked it and as always, you can find me on tumblr at [ allyasavedtheday](http://allyasavedtheday.tumblr.com/) :)


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